In 2023, beer production across the European Union reached a total of 34.3 billion litres, comprising 32.5 billion litres of alcoholic beer and 1.8 billion litres of non-alcoholic beer or beer with less than 0.5% alcohol.
This represents a 5% decline in alcoholic beer production compared to 2022, equating to a decrease of 1.7 billion litres. In contrast, the production of non-alcoholic beer increased by 13.5% from the previous year, adding 0.2 billion litres to the total.
Germany remained the leading beer producer in the EU, generating 7.2 billion litres of beer with alcohol, which constitutes 22.3% of the total EU output. Spain followed with 4.0 billion litres (12.4%), Poland with 3.5 billion litres (10.8%), the Netherlands with 2.4 billion litres (7.5%), and Belgium with 2.0 billion litres (6.3%).
The Netherlands continued its position as the top exporter of alcoholic beer, with 1.8 billion litres exported, representing 21.5% of the EU’s total beer exports. This marked a slight decrease of 0.1 billion litres compared to 2022. Germany and Belgium each exported 1.4 billion litres, while Czechia and Ireland both exported 0.5 billion litres.
France was the largest importer of alcoholic beer in 2023, with 0.9 billion litres, accounting for 17.1% of the EU’s total beer imports. Italy followed with over 0.7 billion litres, while Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany each imported nearly 0.6 billion litres.
In terms of exports to non-EU countries, the United Kingdom was the largest destination for EU beer, importing 0.8 billion litres (22.8% of total extra-EU beer exports). The United States followed with 0.6 billion litres (16.1%), with Russia and China both receiving 0.3 billion litres (8.4% and 7.3%, respectively), and Cuba importing 0.2 billion litres (5.2%).
When it comes to beer imports from outside the EU, the UK remained the primary source, providing 0.3 billion litres, which constituted 57.6% of all extra-EU beer imports. Mexican beer also featured prominently, with 0.1 billion litres, or 17.2% of the total.
